Public Affairs Report:ASM Comments on the Proposed Addition of SARS-CoV to the List ofSelect Agents

摘要

On 2 September, ASM submittedcomments on the proposal to addSARS-associated coronavirus (SARSCoV) to the list of HHS select agentsand toxins, published in the July 13,2009, Federal Register, Vo. 74, No.132. The Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) states that it isproposing this action because (i) SARSCoV can cause significant mortality,especially in the elderly, (ii) the virushas the capability of easily beingtransmitted from human to human,(iii) there is currently no vaccine orantiviral approved for the preventionor treatment of infections caused bythe SARS CoV virus, and (iv) it hasbeen documented that the virus maypersist in the environment. The CDCstates that it has consulted with sub-ject matter experts from the CDC, theNational Institutes of Health, theFood and Drug Administration, andother federal agencies. The CDC rec-ognizes that there may be individualsand entities that are not currently reg-istered under the HHS Select AgentProgram who possess SARS CoV andwould be required to register withHHS should the proposal be finalized.